Sunday 24 September 2017

"She's wearing the pink tablecloth,"

I heard someone say.
Well yes, it is a quilt and craft fair and I suppose people do wear some interesting things - but a pink tablecloth?
I am a conservative dresser. I loathe fussy, frilly clothes. I prefer plain to floral. I don't like lace. 
I don't mind making those things - for other people. I never wear them. 
Other people must. Well, they do. I have seen some in the past three days. I know I will see more today. There is every sort of garment imaginable at such events. It is fun trying to guess what crafts people are interested in from the way they dress.
The dressmakers tend to be a little more conservative in their style. The quilters go for more colour. People who do "messy" crafts which involve glue and paper and the like tend to wear jeans and wild necklaces they have made themselves. People who smock tend to wear very neat clothing... and all of that can be completely wrong.
There was the man wandering around yesterday wearing jeans and a t-shirt advertising a group of some sort. He was wearing a rather wild beanie and carrying some shopping which positively shouted, "I'm a quilter!" He bought a crochet hook from me - and told me he makes his living as fibre artist in another part of the world. He just happened to be on holiday here and saw the fair advertised. 
There was the girl who came along with her father. I wondered what the story was there. They were very close and when I inquired about whether someone could teach her what she wanted to learn she said very quietly, "My mum died. My dad and I will do it from the internet."  I hope she finds people to help too. If they lived here then I could have offered more help.
There were people in wheelchairs who needed help to reach things. There was the Down Syndrome girl who could crochet and wanted a crochet hook in a different size. Did we have a red one? She went off beaming. A visually impaired woman admitted she hated asking for help choosing big buttons, "But I can still see well enough to sew those on." 
There was a very elderly woman who looked a little odd. I couldn't quite work it out until I realised that she looked as if she had stepped out of the 1920's. Her style, down to the hair net on her dyed hair, was exactly that of the older woman then.  I wonder if she often dresses that way?
It was all fascinating. 
But, I kept looking for the person wearing the pink tablecloth.

1 comment:

Jodiebodie said...

It sounds like you had fun. Meeting people is one of the joys of such events. Thanks for the descriptions of the people you saw. It makes up a little for not being able to attend myself. You have allowed me to paint some lovely pictures in my mind.